arch_8ngel

29 minutes ago, Bronty said:

Have you ever pulled out some of those sheets today?  They are hard as a rock now some of them hehe

The "cheap" sheets were pretty stiff, even back in the day.

Polypropylene sheets (the GOOD stuff) should still be pretty soft.

41 minutes ago, Bronty said:

not sure how you define or that what they were buying, but almost everyone stopping buy new comics at that time.   The vintage scene continued on, weakened but still going.   The scene for brand new stuff just literally cratered.   Much like sportscards they were being way overproduced and it imploded.

And you, know, its over 25 years later now.    That chicken eventually comes home to roost because eventually you don't have buyers that grew up with the material.

Comic guys are well aware of it too - they know there's a demographic shift happening or to happen in the not that distant future to hobbies with younger engagement.    That doesn't mean action 1 will *ever* be cheap, the special stuff marches on with increase after increase, but the rank and file items get harder and harder to sell as the population ages out.    We are seeing that already, really.

I'm talking probably '90-'94 timeframe.

I had a couple of friends with boxes and boxes of comics that were buying every issue for certain series.

I even picked up the occasional issue in that time period (though I wasn't a collector, and just bought odds and ends with neat covers -- probably a handful of X-Force and Savage Dragons)

I remember Issue #1 of Cable being a HUGE deal for kids my age, and it seemed to touch off a wave of buying at least in my age group (late elementary / early middle school)

3 minutes ago, Bronty said:

yep I just added cards in to what I said; agree

Yeah, the "funny thing", from my recollection, was that GOOD QUALITY polypropylene card sheets COST MORE THAN THE CHEAP BASEBALL CARDS!

But we all wanted notebooks full of them.

So by the time we'd made that kind of investment, it just seemed natural to switch over to MtG and refill those notebooks with something WAY more fun to look at!

When I first got my NES for Christmas, the family room was the place to be, since my dad had a 21" Trinitron in there at the time.

A few years later when we moved (my parents bought some land and built a house), they had added a distinct "playroom" that was from then-on the game room.

I BRIEFLY was allowed to have a small TV and NES in my bedroom -- I think it corresponded with some relatives being in town for a week and my dad wanting to get the NES out of the larger playroom with so many kids in the house.

But that ended after a month, or two, when I had a friend over and we thought it would be a good idea to play World Class Track Meet on the power pad in the room right above the family room where my dad was watching TV at the time!

Other than that brief couple of months, that was the only time me, or any of my siblings, were allowed to have a TV in our rooms.

(though we did all eventually have PCs of one sort or another)

9 minutes ago, Bronty said:

AGree with almost everything you said.   Magic is a good comparison point because the era, rarity of the 'rare' early cards, prices involved on those early cards, it all kinda lines up in about the same place as where games are now.    We can argue if one is ahead or behind and you're probably right that games are behind but the point is, there are a lot of similarities there.   

Circulation on new comics cratered around 92/93.    Magic started in 93 - its like there was a pretty clean break in kids at the time dropping reading and picking up cards.   And games were popular throughout, but the early 90s was a really important time there too.

Killer tomatoes I can't get behind at four figures though.    If its a cult classic (maybe it is) then that's news to me.   

 

 

Looking back ,it also seems like Magic lines up with the massive oversaturation of baseball cards and elementary/middle school aged kids of the 80's baseball card era (where the oversaturation really started, from what I understand) coming of age and being excited to buy cards that ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING

(also tons of kids who only bought $0.25/pack baseball cards in the 80's because their friends were doing it, and knew nothing about the game or players, and finally had collectible cards that were thematically interesting!)

Though I will say that my serious comic-buying friends of that era (was in middle school when MTG came out) were also HEAVY into MTG (and incidentally were also the people with complete sets of baseball cards in late-elementary school).

They just loved to buy "collectible" stuff, in general.

7 minutes ago, RH said:

Same front I'm experiencing, I assume.  80 does sound nice, so long as it's not to muggy.

Oh, don't worry... it's overcast and 90+% humidity all day!

Going to make for some sticky/soggy trick-or-treating tonight.

We are hitting 80 today in coastal VA.  (though the front edge of that cold weather is hitting at midnight at dropping us to 40, or so, for tomorrow morning!)

2 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

I like 2D platformers way better on NES than SNES as well. 16-bit platformers feel a little looser and sloppier to me, because you frequently have a big floppy cartoon character like Earthworm Jim or Donkey Kong and edges of platforms aren't as well defined because they're all artistically fancy. I'm not saying games like Mario World and Mega Man X aren't the bomb diggity, but on the whole I personally like the feel of the 8-bit Ninja Gaidens, Mega Mans, Marios, and Castlevanias better.

I agree that platformers feel tighter, in general on the NES.

Some of that is probably an optical illusion though from sometimes having fewer frames of animation with simpler sprites.

16 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Cars are pretty safe, and people are more likely to drive recklessly and speed in rainy conditions and drive slower and more cautiously in icy conditions, so your life might actually be less at risk in bad snowy conditions!

Rain and snow both increase the risk of a fatal crash dramatically, but in most states are you correct that rain is a greater hazard than snow.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/05/14/deadly-driving-hazards/27300165/

Interestingly, in Colorado, snow is deadlier than rain as a driving hazard, so JamesRobot's comment is a bit cavalier

On 10/24/2019 at 7:14 AM, jonebone said:

In terms of games, I can't think of any genre NES did better than SNES?  SNES is at least equal in everything and dominates beat-em-ups / RPGs and even adds a genre of fighters that are essentially non-existent on NES.

Puzzle games, probably.  The SNES version of Tetris isn't mechanized correctly, in terms of having a scoring system that lines up with other versions of the game.

Then you have quirky puzzle games like Lolo or Solomon's Key.

There is also more "experimental" stuff on the NES -- weird not-quite-genre-specific games like Air Fortress.

And personally I'm a bigger fan of the specific action-adventure games on the NES versus the SNES, but that is just a matter of preference versus one being objectively better at it.  (Star Tropics, specifically, doesn't have any direct analog on the SNES, and Crystalis and Willow both do a lot of things better, IMO, than the action-RPGs on the SNES)

30 minutes ago, Link said:

OK... what I said is, the bun isn’t a big deal. Regardless of how easily we can or can’t cook different things to put on it. And you can get a breast with their great batter, without the sandwich. 

But I haven’t had Popeye’s in maybe ten years, and KFC probably longer. So yes I guess I do live in an alternate reality.

It isn't an unusual thing for a particular combination of food items to be noticeably better than those same items individually...

If you haven't had fried chicken or a fastfood chicken sandwich in 10 years, I don't quite understand why you're bothering to even post in the thread

This thread is for the people that eat this kind of food once in awhile and for if they were wondering whether the Popeyes sandwich lives up to the hype of being massively better than Chik Fil A.

It does.

4 minutes ago, empire said:

Streaming will be the next format when physical dies off after next gen. Open the app on your phone and you can access your account and saved games wherever you go. Rather than buying games individually, I think we'll have a monthly fee which lets us play whatever we want.

I think we are further from game-streaming being practical than a single console generation.

There are huge swathes of the USA that are under-served for high speed internet access, and data caps are a real concern when you look at the estimates Google put out for their service.

24 minutes ago, SoleGoose said:

I've played DQ1 and DQ9, and was not impressed with either. Is XI more story based?

DQ2 was my childhood favorite.

Actually gathering a party was a fairly novel mechanic at the time.

Congrats!  Glad to see you finally found it!

The sword on the back is very definitely the original Legend of Zelda logo and would have nothing to do with Wind Waker.

NES Classic Series for that game is 2004, right?  Could have been E3 promo-related from the year before.

(or just licensed merch contemporary to that re-release)

Anyone who had the opportunity to meet Alexey Pajitnov definitely has a story to tell, forever.

Once my kids are a couple of years older, my family will make the trip out there again.

My wife and I haven't been since the Ecstasy of Order release-year.

On 10/27/2019 at 4:04 PM, themisfit138 said:

True, and you have to do the process every time you load the game. 

Just get a decent front-end for Dosbox and you should only ever need to configure any particular game once.

I definitely buy old stuff from GOG, even when it might be "free" elsewhere, just for the convenience of having it preconfigured as well as being a convenient repository of all of the printed materials that came with a game.

New stuff, I don't really care too much about the DRM on Steam, and I really like the flexibility of my Steam controller, so I'll take advantage of their deals vs GOG.

If there was a frictionless way to use my Steam controller with GOG, then it might be a different story.

6 hours ago, Link said:

No. I eat fast food rarely. 

Popeye’s is good, sure. I like it better than Church’s or McDonald’s. Not as much as KFC. I refuse to go to Chick Fil A due to their homophobic actions. Not sure I’ve ever had chicken from Wendy’s. 

The fries aren’t exclusive to the sandwich. 

I can buy similar buns at the grocery store, and I do sometimes for my own sandwiches or burgers. Not that I fry chicken at home, just saying why I don’t see that as the big deal people make it out to be.

So it’s big? It’s a good deal for the price? OK

I’ll check it out next time I go to the strip mall if there’s not a line. I guess I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to put an item that they already have in a better than crap bun with minimal fixins. Good on the marketing team. 

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes then we apparently live in a different reality from each other and this sandwich isn't for you.

I will try KFC once every few years to see if they have gone back to what I remember from when I was a kid, but they disappoint me every time, and their prices are terrible on top of it all.

Maybe it varies by market, in terms of the quality of the franchisees, but KFCs in my area are just not that good anymore.  

And I definitely agree that you can get good quality buns from the store for better homemade burgers than any restaurant will serve.

But in my experience, fried chicken is an entirely different challenge to do at home at all, let alone to do "better" than other options, compared to burgers.  I have done fairly decent fried chicken sandwiches at home before, but it is extremely hard to do it with the consistency that a large chain can manage with a full-sized deep fryer.  (though at home it is easier to do a specialty side like sweet potato fries)

So part of specifically getting restaurant/fast-food fried chicken is the enormous convenience factor versus something much easier to do well like burgers.

So I will offer this caveat to my post:

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes, just ignore this entire thread and move on with your life

39 minutes ago, Link said:

It’s fried chicken with pickles and spicy mayo on a brioche bun.

I don’t get it either. 

Have you had it yet?

Their spicy sandwich is the best chicken sandwich I have had, fast-food or otherwise.  It is surprisingly good, even going in with fairly high expectations based on their spicy tenders.

Wendy's sandwich isn't remotely in the same league.

Also, you really seem to be ignoring how different the breaded and battered chicken options turn out from different places, even when comparing all whole meat options.

The Popeyes sandwich is practically an entire chicken breast.  It is huge for a sandwich.

And it is battered with Popeyes batter which in my opinion is better tasting and better texture than any of the alternatives.

Couple that with a surprisingly good quality bun for a fast-food sandwich, and Cajun fries, which are only really rivaled by the seasoned fries from Rally's/Checkers, and it makes for a hell of a combination.

Like I said, I think it would be crazy to actually wait in the long lines for it.

But if you happen to find the opportunity to get one with a reasonable wait, it is well worth it.

31 minutes ago, Br81zad said:

Might have to try one of these bad boys now that the hype has faded

The hype still seems to be pretty strong.

I was picking up lunch to have with my wife last Tuesday and the drive-thru line was wrapped around the building.

I walked in, since there was no inside-line, and by the time I was leaving there were 10 people trailing out the door.

I just had very lucky timing on my visit, and the sandwich re-release hadn't even been announced yet.

(didn't even know it was available until I walked up to the counter and asked about the current specials)

People behind in me in line were ordering them by the half-dozen (as opposed to my fairly normal order), so they still have a ton of hype.

But I can't deny they are GOOD.  (and HUGE -- the meat equivalent of at least 3 of Popeyes spicy tenders -- so maybe 30%-50% larger than the Chick Fil A sandwich) 

Saw the news stories about this one coming back, nationally.

My local Popeyes brought it back a couple weeks early, without fanfare, as I happened to snag one for lunch last week, without knowing it was on the menu ahead of time.

I wouldn't wait in the crazy lines for it... but it is definitely the best chicken sandwich on the market, by far.

I enjoy Chik Fil A, but a spicy Popeyes sandwich with Cajun fries absolutely destroys the competition.

So if you're find the opportunity to get one "quickly" without the lines... take your shot.  You won't be disappointed.

But no food is worth the crazy wait times that went with the original release, and will likely accompany the re-release.

Avoiding soda is a must.  (though I let the kids pick out a "special drink" -- usually Cheerwine or cream soda -- for weekend lunch)

Our big thing was getting into a much better habit of cooking at home.  My wife and I both enjoy cooking, and have a pretty good range and spice palate, fortunately.

(and having 2 kids massively suppresses the desire to be lazy and dine out, since keeping up with kids in a restaurant setting is more effort than just cooking at home in the first place)

Right now our big vice is having developed a bit of a craft beer habit, but as we both roll towards 40 years old, we're cutting that back to just a couple nights per week on the weekends.  (kind of an expensive habit anyway, aside from the health concerns of even one beer per night, on average, making a woman a "heavy drinker" by CDC standards)

4 minutes ago, captmorgandrinker said:

SO WHO'S THE FREAK NOW???!?!?!?!??!?!   

I am, well, not a fairly thin guy.   I think I do something similar to you, just I end up staying on the bowl instead of what sounds like your hover method.

There's leaning involved.   Do you really want a video?   That might be a hard sell to getting the wife to capture it.

Ha!

Yeah it is sort of a low hover to guarantee enough space that neither my hand or my unit is making contact with the toilet.

And I have both an elongated bowl and round bowl (old house with a space constrained second bathroom) in the house, so I have experience with how much clearance exists in either case.

I just have a hard time imagining how, even with an elongated bowl, any man with at least a normal sized pelvis can sit and wipe without either putting their junk on the front of the seat or rubbing their hand and arm against the back of the seat.

Maybe there is some brand of oversized toilet seat I am not familiar with that makes this possible.

Or maybe other people simply find it less problematic to have their junk all over toilet seats during the wiping process

2 spaces.

My high school keyboarding class was in the late/mid 90's and that was still how it was taught.

(And I am pretty sure we learned explicit 2-spaces-after-a-period in middle school computer class as well)

Though I understand that one space is the modern default, for whatever reason.